Vanities Edge
by AyreFocus
Summary: A newborn Sylvari with darkness placed upon him, a Necromancer on her own brink of sanity. This team of two must attempt to survive in a city full of lies and deceit. Go with them as they attempt to redeem themselves from a world which has robbed them of so much.
1. Prologue

Ayre looked up at the man in the white cloaks with disgust. He yanked at the long chains which bound his arms the opposite end of the dark room in anger, but they held strong, keeping his arms outstretched. The hooded man turned to face Ayre with a horrid smirk strewn across his face. Ayre stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, jaw clenched tight.

The man shuffled up close to Ayre, speaking only inches away from his face. Ayre could smell the man's rancid breathe puffing over his nose.

"This is your fault, you know" The gruff voice accused him, "She would still be alive if you had just… listened to me." The man in the cloaks almost chuckled as he taunted his prisoner. Ayre said nothing, only staring at the old man with abhorrence. Ayre's hostility seemingly edging the cloaked man on.

"You have failed, fool" His voice echoed through the chapel's room "And your family has abandoned you!" The old man raised his arms out and looked to the ceiling, "Kormir will soon devour your soul.. and I will have my ascension!" The old man broke into maniacal laughter, rolling his head back as he did so.

After a few moments, he looked back down to face Ayre, a large smile upon his face, waiting for a response. Ayre took the opportunity to spit sap onto the man's face. The smile which had occupied the hooded face quickly turned into an angry grimace. He strode over the wheel which controlled the tightness of the chain's which held Ayre's arms out. The robed man glanced at Ayre before turning the wheel harshly.

Ayre screamed as the dark iron chains which were wrapped around his wrists nearly tore his hands off. They pulled at his arms with extreme force, The chains were attached to wall at a height only inches above Ayre's head, causing his body to be lifted off the ground slightly in the shape of a T. The man held Ayre there, watching him scream in agony, waiting a minute before lowering him back down just enough for his toes to graze the red carpet.

Ayre raised his head and glared at the robed man, breathing heavily. The smirking old man quietly strode down the aisle away from Ayre, exiting the room with satisfaction.

Ayre hung his head. The silence of the room now bearing down upon him. His arms ached, his legs were sore, and yet.. the thing that hurt him the most.. was the fact that no one had noticed he was gone. No one had come to help him, no one cared. This room will be the death of him.


	2. Chapter 1

Out of the pod then down the muddy hill and into a foggy swamp. That was all the newborn Sylvari was able to recall. Laying in a puddle of mud, he stared up at the grey sky, trying to piece together the very sudden and abrupt way he had just entered this world. As he lay, his green, leafy body, was slick with the foul smelling dirt. He steadily began to regain his bearings. He looked up the steep hill, but he couldn't see past where his pod had caught on a tree because of the thick fog that encompassed the area. He noticed the green, leafy pod was still oozing fluid through the hole in which he had been birthed from. After taking a few moments to breathe his first breaths, he sat up and peered down at his toes, wiggling them, and cracking a small smile amidst the gloom this swamp seemed to lay upon everything. He brushed the leaves, his own hair, off of his face and letting it fall the to side of his head and began looking around for any sign of life. Perhaps someone could tell him who he was, or where he was. The sadness of the swamp he tumbled into had already began to make him nervous. This didn't seem right, he knew in his heart that something was wrong.

The newborn Sylvari sat quietly. He was listening for anything, though now he feared what he might hear. He heard only his own breathing, and his own heart. After a few moments, the stillness of the dark swamp got to him, and he resolved he must find someone to speak to. He put his right leg under himself and began to very shakily stand. He had gotten about halfway when his leg buckled from underneath him, and he fell into the mud once more, getting a new layer of it. After a moment to regain his strength, he attempted to stand once more, giving his legs as much strength as he could muster. Eventually, he came to a very shaky stand. His arms were out in order to give him balance, and came closer to his body once he became used to standing. His legs were wobbling, but they were able to hold his body, to which the Sylvari expressed a quick laugh of satisfaction. He then used a nearby dead tree to lean on, propping himself on the black and lifeless bark.

His victory was short lived, for he remembered he was still in the swamp. His new height gave him a new perspective. Though he could only see a few feet through the dense fog, he made out the outlines of more dead trees, and other foul looking vegetation. The Sylvari looked at his own hand upon the tree. He felt so out of place here, a living being amongst a graveyard of color and spirit. Even he had lost track of his own color, as the thick layer of mud had covered almost every inch of his body. He looked away from his hand and gazed into the fog, and froze. He saw something shift through the density of the dead trees. He blinked, not wanting to irrationally become encased in fear. However, he did manage to stumble behind the tree, peering out the side of it, scanning the fog for any movement. Now he saw a figure moving, one about his size. It was lumbering, slowly and lazily. The more the Sylvari stared, the more figures he could make out in the fog. Each one was moving slowly towards him. He became frightened but alert, he was determined to not let fear take over. He turned around but there was no where to go, the steep hill blocking that direction, he looked to his left and then to his right, the latter seemingly the only direction in which they were not coming from.

He began to move as fast as he could move in his new legs. He was slow but they were slower. Just focusing on the horizon, he was stumbling, crawling, and frantically pushing his way through the dead and twisting vegetation that seemed to grasp at his every limb as if the very earth itself was trying to trap him in this swamp of the dead. He was receiving vicious cuts and gashes as thorns from the vegetation seemed to reach out for him. He was in too much of a hurry to care about the warm golden fluid rushing from his wounds. The more he moved, the more confident he became in his own legs, he was becoming faster and less sloppy in his movements. The newborn let out a small yelp as he felt a cold has grasp at his shoulder, and he dared not turn around. Were they catching up to him? This seemed impossible to the newborn, as he felt he he was doing so well at his newfound ability of running. But he could hear the sounds of multiple feet splashing through the mud almost directly behind him. It was only just too late he saw an arm reaching from the mud below. The rotten hand grabbed at his shins, only to slide down to his ankle and get a better hold upon him. The newborn fell onto the floor of the swamp, struggling to free himself from the grasp of the hand which had trapped him. He looked up at his pursuers. He saw horrific monsters, their very flesh rotting off their bone, the undead. The newborn took one final breath and shut his eyes as a foot came crashing down upon his skull.

His eyes flickered open to the blurry outline of a couple figures moving around him. He attempted to get up but the pounding in his head pushed right back down. He shut his eyes and rubbed his head, feeling the stickiness of his own blood in between his fingers. Through the sounds of his own breathing, he could make out the sounds of someone speaking. It was too muffled for him to understand, and he couldn't control his breathing. This is when he felt a hand lightly placed on his chest. The newborn grabbed at it with his own bloodied hand, but it didn't feel undead. The hand was warm, and it didn't fight back. He opened his eyes, and for the first time in his life, he saw another living being.

His vision was blurred but he could still make out a face. It was a woman. He could make out her long black hair and the black makeup around her eyes. He took note of the her eyes, a beautiful burnt amber color with elliptical pupils. They were alarming yet charming. She stared down at him and he stared up at her. The pounding in his head had stopped, and his vision became clear as he looked up at her. She spoke quietly and calmly to him. "Are you alright?" she said, genuine concern in her eyes. He looked into her eyes, mouth slightly agape, and nodded lightly.

She smiled gently down at him, "Do you have a name?". Her voice seemed like liquid to him. It flowed from her and into him, to which he gave unbreaking attention to. His silence must have tipped her off, and she spoke to him again, "I'm going to name you.." She thought for a moment, tapping on her chin with her free hand, "Ayre". Then he spoke up to her, "Ayre?". He felt strange hearing his voice for the first time, but she seemed to be relieved to hear it. "You know, like the wind."

She stood up, and offered a helping hand down to Ayre, which he took. "The wind?" he asked quietly as he was being pulled up. Only when he was pulled to his feet did he get the chance to inspect the woman. Strangely enough, she was wearing an elegant dress that seemed to show off certain areas of her figure. He also noticed a staff strapped to her back, and two daggers at her waist. Even when Ayre stood fully, she was still about a head taller than him. When he looked up at her, and she said "You ask a lot of questions don't you?". Ayre could only shrug, and turned as he heard motion behind him. His body instantly became ready to run as he laid eyes upon another abomination that was nearly identical to the ones chasing him only moments before. Except this one was different, it wasn't trying to chase him, it only stood. Ayre looked back at the woman, who was now rummaging through a small blue backpack. "Here" she said, tossing up a red piece of cloth. He caught it, and she caught the panicked expression on his face, and looked over to the undead. "Oh, one of my minions" she said nonchalantly. Ayre gave her a quizzical look, still holding the red cloth. She waved her hand at him "Don't worry, he's one of mine, and not like the ones chasing you."

Ayre turned and inspected the minion from a distance. It did seem more intact than the ones pursuing him before, and it stood as if magic was holding it up, which reminded Ayre that it probably was.

She approached him, "Here" she said softly, and like a mother, took the red cloth and tied it around Ayre's waist, covering him all the way down to his knees. When she finished, she stood back and admired her work, and said "Running through Orr nude is very dangerous, though I do know a man who gets off on that sort of thing". Ayre gave the woman another look, but she seemed lost in thought at the moment.

Ayre tightened his cloth and began surveying the area. Ayre and the woman were stood at the edge of the swamp, and the clear sky allowed him to see much further. To his left, the suffocating swamp that nearly killed him. To his right, what looked like a colossal wall just a couple miles out, preceded by dunes of grey and brown sand. To make the land seem even more unforgiving, the sun was setting behind the swamp, casting a shadow over where they stood. The dark purple sky spreading over their heads like a great aquilegia flower. The dead grey earth below made Ayre uneasy. This land was unnatural, he felt as if it had been created by something sinister.

Ayre turned back to the woman to see her hoist the small backpack onto her back. She then turned to her own undead, holding her open palm out to it. "We don't need you anymore" she spoke coldly "You'll just attract unwanted attention, and we can't have that, not tonight." Ayre warily watched as a dark glow grew around her hand. The undead was standing silently, unresponding. The woman clenched her hand and the aura faded, causing the minion to fall to it's knees and dissolve into the ground until it was nothing more than a pile of bones and dripping some sort of thick black liquid. Ayre looked down to notice that he had unconsciously clutched at his own heart with his hands. He shakily forced them to his sides, leaving small globules of his golden sap on his dirty chest. He forced himself to regain his composure, and watched her as she caught her breath. After what Ayre thought was an adequate amount of time, he managed to ask a question, "Why?" It was all he could muster.

The woman turned her gaze over to Ayre, and with a quiet voice, said "Because I need you alive." Ayre remained silent, hoping she would explain herself. She stood straight and looked back at him, "We're in Orr Ayre, the undead homeland, this is a very dangerous place and I need you alive." She almost sounded desperate. The woman paused for a moment, then gazed over the dunes of sand. "Look, come with me Ayre, I can get you to safety, I just need you to do as I say". Ayre looked at the woman. He knew he had no reason to trust her, yet he did. He could feel she was speaking the truth, yet how he knew was unbeknownst to him. "Now, come with me", she ordered, "There is a man waiting for us just beyond that wall." taking steps towards the foreboding dunes, aiming towards the far-off mountains. The dirty, bloody Sylvari obeyed without question, his bare feet making a soft crunching sound as the sand gave way underneath him.

The tall woman's stride forced Ayre to keep his pace quick in order to walk beside her. After a few moments of enjoying the sounds of the two of them walking, Ayre spoke up, looking up at the woman as he did so, "Why am I in Orr?" The words came quietly and carefully. The tall woman looked down to him, saying "You wouldn't understand Ayre, not yet." Ayre caught a small hint of pity in the way she spoke, and this only added to the extreme amount of confusion Ayre was experiencing. He had the feeling that no amount of questioning would ease his confusion, so he worked up the courage for a more basic question he knew would have a simple answer. While looking down at his feet, he asked "What is your name?" To this the woman raised a brow, looking down at the shy Sylvari. Ayre continued to avoid eye contact until he heard her say "You can just call me Vain, everyone else does." Ayre remained silent for a few moments, saying the name in his head a few times before blurting "What a strange name." Ayre shut his eyes, cringing at what he had just said. "Yeah, it is." Vain said quietly, as if she was thinking about the name herself.

Ayre cursed at himself, feeling shame for just insulting the one person he knew. He allowed Vain to take the lead as he fell behind by a few feet. His mouth felt dry and the silence he enjoyed just moments before only seemed to make things worse, but Ayre didn't hold the courage to continue speaking. The quiet was only broken by Vain "Well, you have a strange name too, salad-boy" Ayre looked back up, with a small smile on his face and a wave of relief in his heart. He caught Vain looking over her shoulder and offering a small smile. Ayre said jokingly "Yes, but you were the one who named me." Vain shrugged, "Yeah, but I could have also named you Garfunkel, but now you're glad I didn't aren't you" Ayre let out a small laugh. The silence didn't seem so menacing to Ayre now, and he allowed himself to return to Vain's side.

After walking over the dunes of sand for some time, Ayre began to realize the full height of the wall they were approaching. It looked hundreds of feet high, and it was ancient. Moss hung from impossible heights, cracks occupied most of the rocks, and piles of rubble resided near the base. However, as he was getting closer, Ayre could make out a temple built into the wall, with stone stairs leading up to the entrance. He turned to Vain and asked "We're going in there?" Vain nodded slightly 'Mhm, from just beyond there we'll be taking an airship back home." Ayre turned back to the wall, it was getting larger with every step he took. The setting sun lit the wall ablaze with a powerful mix of deep red and orange. It was menacing to Ayre, but Vain continued walking without hesitation.

By the time they reached the long stone stairs, the sun has gone down almost completely, the intense color of the wall had been replaced with a dark shadow. Ayre was beginning to shiver due to the sudden change in temperature and his breath was becoming visible. Vain and Ayre stood for a brief moment at the beginning of the stairs, looking up at the temple. Ayre was looking at the architecture, but Vain was looking for movement. After she determined it was still abandoned, she motioned for Ayre to follow and began ascending the steps.

Ayre's legs were tired and his breathing became heavy. The stairs seemed infinite, and Vain was getting farther away from him with every step. Suddenly he heard a heavy rumble coming from below. Vain and Ayre turned to look down and saw a swarm of the undead scrambling up the stairs, silently but ferociously coming for them. Ayre saw figures unlike his own, undead who were smaller, with short legs and big heads, other where covered in black fur, and hands with sharp claws and teeth sharp as knives. Ayre was suddenly being yanked at the shoulder by Vain, who forced him up a few steps, yelling at him to move quickly and pulling the staff off of her back. Ayre turned before he could see what she was going to do with it, and began to sprint up the stairs as fast as his legs could move, paying little heed to the large amount of steps that remained. As he was running, Ayre could hear the sounds of screaming undead and explosive magic. He didn't dare look behind him, all he could focus on was getting to the top of the stairs, from there it was a quick sprint past the columns then into the doorway of the ancient temple. Every step sent a shock of pain through his legs, and his lungs felt as if they were shutting down. The stairs were coming to an end, all he needed to do was push just a little further and he would be over the edge.

Ayre's body was on the brink of collapsing. Running over the last step, he began making his way past the massive support columns. His bare feet slapped against the cold stone as he made his way over the cracks and vines that littered the floor. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to stop. He bent over, lungs gasping for air. After a few moments of heavy breathing, he noticed something on the ground. He had stopped to rest in what looked like a massive footprint punched into the solid stone, and it looked fresh. Ayre followed the direction of the print and saw a trail of footsteps leading into a massive smashed-in gate that led into black nothingness. After staring for a few moments and contemplating charging into abyss, the sounds of footsteps rushing up behind him caught him by surprise. He turned just in time for Vain to grab him by the arm and lead him into the opening. He tried to warn Vain of the footsteps, but fumbled over his words, only managing to say "Vain!.. I.. er.. There's-" before getting interrupted by Vain yelling "No time!" and getting hauled through the gate's opening.

After running through the stone passageway, Vain threw Ayre behind a wall that was opposite of the opening. He tried to wince but Vain had already covered his mouth, her body leaning on his. She peered around the corner for several seconds, watching for movement. Ayre was being smothered by Vain and he didn't know why, he tried to protest but Vain held his mouth tighter and leaned on him more. After Vain deemed that the coast was clear, Ayre was yet again gasping for air. He moved his hand to wipe his mouth of dirt, but paused once he noticed something peculiar. For moment, he could have sworn he saw a faint glow. He held his hand in front of him, perplexed but intrigued. His eyes widened as a faint blue glow radiated from under the folds of his leaves, then slowly faded after a few moments. His body did the same, the slight glow was visible from under the dirt and sap. He looked up at Vain, wide eyed and speechless. She chuckled a bit and quietly said "There's a path we can take through this temple, it'll lead us to the other side." and she shook her head, "I hope you don't mind the dark, Ayre."

Vain had taken the staff off her back, and was projecting a faint glow from the tip of it. The light was just bright enough to see where Vain should place her next step. Ayre was holding on to Vain's free hand as she guided the two of them through the dark hallways. There were doors on either side of them, some were bashed open, others remained shut. Ayre dared not look inside any of the openings in fear of what he might see. Ayre only watched straight ahead, the pitch black inspiring a series of questions to run through his head. "Why does this woman need me alive?" he thought to himself, "How can I even trust her when all she could be doing is leading me to my death?" Ayre was only certain of one thing: This woman could harness magic to raise the dead. "Was she a necromancer then?" Ayre looked up at her face, only slightly lit by the glow, to catch Vain eyeing him. Her eyes turned away as he looked at her, but there was no doubt she had been looking at Ayre.

Ayre had felt nothing but unease about this woman since the moment they had met. How much wasn't she telling him? Questions continued to run through his head as they were making their way through the hallway. He shook his head, he can't think about these things now, he should try and stay alert. Their footsteps were muffled by a dusty old rug which ran the length of the hallway. Vain stopped walking, and Ayre waited expectantly. She gestured towards a door to their right which was slightly ajar. Ayre stepped over and cautiously placed a hand on the door, pushing it open slowly. The loud creak the door made caused the two cringe, and they made their way inside once Vain checked the room with her staff.

The room turned out to be a jail cell. It was small and windowless, save for a small vent which the ceiling of the room led into. The walls were made of stone and there was what looked like the remnants of a small wooden bed in the corner. Vain shut the heavy wooden door behind them and locked it. She then walked over to the bed and began snapping off pieces of the wood with her bare hands. Ayre watched from a corner as she set the pieces down and used her magic to make a small fire in the center of the room. The light illuminated her smooth figure complemented by the dress she wore, which was somehow still clean. Ayre scooched closer to the fire and watched as the woman set her backpack down and pulled out a flask containing an unknown fluid. She uncapped it and took a swig, then sat down by the fire next to Ayre.

"We're going to be here for for the night, we don't want to be outside this temple again until there's daylight." The chill that Ayre had been experiencing was dispersing thanks to the warm embrace of the fire. He sat quietly with his eyes closed, enjoying the rest. The peaceful silence was finally broken by Vain, when she asked "So… you come here often?" After a moment of silence, Ayre gave her a look and she nudged him with her elbow. "Lighten up, Salad-Boy, I just saved your life two times in the last hour, I'd say you owed me." Ayre looked back into the fire, unresponding. Vain leaned closer to him, "You know it could be worse, ok? I could be talking about all the times I've had sex around campfires." Ayre was forced yet again to give her a look. "Of all the people to across, this was the one that saved me?" He thought to himself. Vain's expression changed from joking to slightly annoyed, "Fine, did you know I've had sex exactly four times in jail cells, and only two of them involved fire?"

Ayre could only stare into the fire as Vain rambled on about her favorite positions for sex along with how many people she's had sex with near campfires. Ayre briefly contemplated throwing himself into the fire, but he was too tired to move, and instead just listened to Vain as she described in extreme detail the feeling a tongue penetrate unspeakable places on her body. Vain looked as if she was reliving the moment, arching her back and falling back on her hands, smiling as she did so. She paused for moment with her eyes shut tight, as if she was already lost in her own memory. After a few seconds Ayre could only put his head in his arms and groan as Vain continued speaking, sipping from her flask every so often. She then recalled a moment of passion between her and a woman she had been hired to protect. Which was also by a campfire. She explained how that one involved magic and some potions. After looking over to Ayre, Vain determined he had enough. She reached into the small blue backpack and handed Ayre a soft pillow. "Maybe you laugh at my stupid jokes next time hmm?" He was too tired to argue, he took the pillow and set it down. Vain's magic dimmed the fire slightly and she pulled out another pillow from the small backpack. Ayre laid down on the pillow, "This is the woman I must deal with until we get out of here." He thought to himself, "I hope this doesn't last too long." Though the sinking feeling in his stomach betrayed him.


	3. Chapter 2

Ayre awoke to Vain prodding him in the back with her staff. He groggily rolled over, only to get a prod to the forehead.

He gave Vain a dirty look but she only shrugged, saying "I just got a call on my communicator", she held up the small device, "He's ready to pick us up, now get your salad ass up and let's go."

Vain stepped over to the door and unlocked it, and Ayre slowly got to his feet. He tightened the rag around his waist, and waited for Vain to make sure the corridor was clear. Vain peered out, and when she determined it was safe, motioned for Ayre to follow. Ayre instinctively grabbed Vain's hand as they stepped out of the warmth of the cell and into the unforgiving cold of the unknown. Vain's staff was already alight, and she moved with much more determination than she did last night. The large corridors remained silent and hopelessly dark as they quickly padded their way along the damp carpet. After walking some distance, they reached what looked like the shattered remnants of a doorway. Shards of thick wood and chipped off stone littered the area, however most of the debris was on the opposing side of the destroyed doorway. Something had broken through the door, as if attempting to get deeper into the temple. Vain and Ayre paused for a moment, slowly stepping over the rubble, careful not to disturb it. As they crossed the threshold of the doorway, Ayre noticed they were above, on a balcony. Below them was the remnants of what looked like a huge ancient ballroom.

Ayre pointed back at the rubble, "Should we be worried ab-"

Ayre was cut short by Vain covering his mouth yet again. She pointed down to the center of the ballroom, where a giant mass of flesh and bone huddle together. Ayre could see the movement of it's breathing and what looked like several weapons stuck in various places of it's body. The beast must have fallen onto the dance floor when it had charged through the door, and not been able to get out.

Vain gravely whispered into Ayre's ear. " Don't make a sound, and stay close."

She pointed towards the opposite end of the ballroom, where light shown through an open doorway located on the second floor. Thankfully, the second story of the ballroom had balconies along the edges of the ballroom which were easily traversable. Vain motioned for the path on the left, still lightly holding Ayre's hand, guiding him along.

As they began lightly stepping their way along the carpeted balcony, their silence was being betrayed by the creaking wooden balconies. Every step they took was followed by silence as they both gazed over at the monstrosity. Ayre looked at the behemoth, checking to make sure it had not been alerted to their presence. In doing so, he miscalculated his footing and stepped on some rubble rather loudly. Vain and Ayre both froze, looking at the undead behemoth. It did not move, and Vain gave Ayre a look that could kill. Ayre let go a small sigh of relief and placed a hand on the railing that lined the balcony. To Ayre's horror, the frail railing gave way, and dropped onto the floor below, crashing into the rotten wooden floor with enough force to shake the entire room. Vain looked at Ayre with disbelief as he stared down at the pile of rubble, mouth hanging open. Ayre gazed up at the monster, which had now begun to stir. The beast looked up to Ayre, and for a moment, Ayre stared into it's lifeless eyes. The behemoth reared up and roared at the two, shaking the foundation of the desolate temple. Ayre covered his ears as the deafening roar came from the undead, and pieces of the temple rained down upon them.

Ayre turned to Vain as she yelled "Fuck it.. Run!".

To this, Ayre and Vain abandoned any notion of stealth. They began sprinting across the balconies, the sounds of the behemoth giving chase only quickened their pace. In it's furry, the roaring behemoth began destroying the support columns of the balconies as it chase them from below, causing the ancient wooden platforms to come crashing down behind the two. Ayre focused only on the doorway they were getting closer and closer too. The bright light was a beacon of freedom, of safety. Ayre and Vain suddenly felt the platform they were running across beginning to shake, and it gave way as soon as they crossed over to the next one. The destruction seemed to cause a cascade effect throughout the whole room. Large portions of the ceiling were now breaking free and smashing into the ground, sending chunks of wood and stone flying in all directions. The Behemoth shook the room with every step it took, soon enough, it would be buried in here.

"Jump!" Vain yelled, and Ayre took one last step before he leapt towards the door, just before the platform crumbled away from underneath him. Ayre landed on the threshold of the doorway and turned around just in time for Vain to come crashing into him, sending them both rolling down a soft hill of sand. Sounds of the beast smashing the room to bits echoed out of the small doorway as Vain and Ayre both laid in the sand. Ayre began laughing, but was cut short by another prod by Vain's staff. Ayre was about to complain at her but became speechless at the sight of an Airship which was anchored to the earth only a short distance from them. He could see the crew moving about the deck, and small fires fueled the wooden framed balloon that kept it airborn. The ship's bow was facing their direction, and a man stood on the edge, waving at them.

"That's him, that's the man who payed me to save you" Vain waved lighty back at him.

"You were paid to save me?" Ayre looked at her with confusion.

Vain looked over to him, shrugging, "Come on, we're almost out of here, let's just go."

Ayre sighed as they began walking over to the Airship. The sand crunched under their feet, and the sounds of destruction from the behemoth trapped in the room behind them slowly faded. As they were making their way closer to the Airship Vain felt her back was somewhat lighter. She looked back and saw that her blue backpack was half buried in the sand.

"Ayre, can you go get that for me?" She pointed at it, "Sand is awfully hard to walk on with these boots" She gestured at her thigh high boots.

Ayre shrugged, lightly jogging back to the pack. Vain waited patiently, watching the young Sylvari fill out another task. As Ayre reached the pack, he could hear the beast still pounding away, but the sound was getting closer. Rocks were now falling out of the wall, and puffs of dust were shooting out of the holes they left. As Ayre watched he became anxious, and he worried how much longer the wall would hold. He quickly bent down to grab the bag, just as the Behemoth blew through the wall with a monstrous crash. Ayre yelped as he was knocked aside by the infuriated Behemoth, and was thrown into a pile of sand and rocks. Vain watched as the Behemoth charged towards her. She drew her staff, sending powerful spells dark magic screaming towards the monster. The magic dug into the beast, but it only seemed to become more enraged. It roared, causing the ground around Vain to shake, and continued it's charge. Vain prepared to evade out of the Behemoth's path, but was suddenly held to the ground by several undead hands which had plunged out of the sand.

"Shit!" Vain hissed to herself, attempting to shake her legs free from the hands.

The Behemoth lunged at her, just as a harpoon shot down from the airship and into the arm of the monster with a loud thud. The weight of the harpoon combined with the force in which it was shot forced the Behemoth to stumble out of Vain's way.

The Behemoth grasped at the sharp piece of steel which was embedded in it's arm, but found it unmoveable. It's rage was now directed at the Airship. The small Airship turned to it's side, and sent down a flurry of harpoons, several meeting their mark, digging themselves into various places in the monstrosities' flesh. The beast fell onto it's back, where it lay unmoving. Vain felt herself sigh in relief as cheers of joy could be heard from the small airship. Vain turned her attention back towards where Ayre used to be. After a moment she spotted the young Sylvari pulling himself out of rubble with the small blue backpack in hand. He looked over to her, shaking his head and giving a sigh, as he was now covered in mud, blood, and now dust. Vain laughed at his misfortune, and motioned for him to hurry back over to her. Vain looked back up to the Airship's captain, watching the distance figure order his men cut the lines from the harpoons, letting them fall to the Orran floor below.

Once Ayre had jogged back over to Vain, still patting the dust and sand out of his ears, the small airship sent down a long retractable metal ladder. Vain and Ayre began walking the short distance over to the ladder. Despite everything, Ayre felt relieved. Even though Vain was only here to trade him off to whoever that man was, he felt comfortable knowing he would never have to come back here. Ayre looked down at the Behemoth out of curiosity, something didn't feel right to him. He saw the Behemoth turn it's head towards him and Ayre froze, grabbing Vain by the shoulder, and she froze as well. They started to back away from the beast, when in a swift movement, the Behemoth lunged upwards, grabbing the sturdy ladder. The cheers coming from the Airship turned into shouting and screaming, and the small fires fueling the balloon suddenly burst into full power. Ayre and Vain could only watch in horror as the Airship began to gain altitude, and the Behemoth made its way upwards, towards the ship.

"Idiots, what are they doing?" Vain asked aloud. Ayre didn't bother answering, he only watched the Airship as it ascended frantically with sorrow in his eyes.

The Behemoth reached the ship from the ladder, and began tearing away at the metal and wooden frame. Soon large portions of the Airship were being torn off altogether. Ayre hid his eyes into Vain's arm as screams of terror came from falling deckhands. Then tears began to burn at his eyes when the sound of the people's screaming were cut short.

Vain watched as the what was left of the Airship began a slow descent back to Orr, and her heart sank when the sound of wood and iron shattering resounded throughout the area. The Airship had wrecked over a hill within walking distance. She let Ayre lean on her arm for a moment as she observed the billowing black smoke ascend into the dead grey sky.

"Vain, there might be survivors.." Ayre said, looking up "Maybe we can help them." His shaky tone dashing any attempt at optimism.

"Yeah.. Maybe" Vain said, in a dark tone.

Ayre nodded, and began walking towards the wreckage, wiping his blurry eyes free from tears. Vain followed him closely as they walked past various pieces of Airship. Bits of wood and metal were strewn across the sand dunes. As Ayre reached the apex of the dune, he turned away from one of the larger pieces of the Airship, a grimace on his face. Vain walked past him, checking if there were survivors among the pile of burning wood and twisted metal. Vain shook her head up to Ayre, signalling that no one had survived. She began walking towards the main wreckage and signalled him to get back over to her. Against his instinct, he obeyed walked down to her slowly, past the burning pile, head hung low. Vain could feel he was emotionally distraught, so she took his hand and gently lead him over the few remaining sand dunes and to the Airship's main wreckage. It had stayed mostly intact, save for the parts that were ripped off by the Behemoth. Ayre dared not to look the the burning wreckage for fear of seeing any bodies. Vain looked around for the Behemoth, but it had since left.

Then, Vain and Ayre heard a woman screaming from inside the wall of flames.

"Ayre, find her!" Vain yelled, shying away from the intense heat.

Ayre abandoned his fear, and instantly tore off the sheet that was wrapped around his waist and dove into to wreckage, flames licking at his legs. His pain was replaced by the urgency of the rescue, he did not care that his feet were already browning. The woman screamed once more, and Ayre located the source behind a piece of lumber. He threw it off to the side to discover a woman who was pinned by a barrel in a small area safe from fire. She looked at him desperately , and he quickly lifted the barrel off her leg, and found that it contained water as it leaked from the various holes. Thinking quickly, he threw the barrel in the direction that he came from, dousing the flames long enough for the two of them to make an escape. He quickly picked up the small woman around her knees and back, and she grabbed him tightly around the neck. He then carried her out of the fires, running as swiftly as his charred legs could take him.

Ayre ran with the woman in his arms for a considerable distance, then dropped to his knees, still holding her. Ayre looked into the woman's green eyes, and she looked back at him. Her red hair singed and her ragged clothing torn, she expressed her gratitude through a small smile that quickly disappeared as she looked at her own broken leg. The woman looked back up at Ayre with tears in her eyes just as Vain approached the two. Vain dropped to her knees as well and inspected the woman leg, gently running her hand along the woman's shin, feeling for the broken areas. When the woman winced, Vain immediately applied an alcohol soaked rag to the area. The woman yelped, tightening her grasp around Ayre's neck. After wiping the area clean of blood, Vain placed a hand on her leg, glowing with magic. After a few moments of pain, the woman's leg appeared almost entirely healed. The woman straighten her leg cautiously, and slowly let it fall back down. Vain then pulled Ayre's cloth out of the backpack, and tore it in two, then wrapped it tightly around the woman's leg. After knotting the rag tightly, Vain stepped away from the two, sitting down on the sand and watched the rest of the Airship burn.

"Ayre, you can let her down now." Vain said, not bother to look at him.

He realized he still had the woman in his arms, and let her down lightly on the sand. She looked in between the two of them

"T.. Thank you.. I'm not sure what to say.." She looked over to Ayre, "I guess you just saved my life"

The small woman turned the the remnants of the Airship, still in shock, and watched it burn with Vain. Ayre sat down next to her and also watched it burn. He looked down at his own hands, which were now brown and slightly black at the tips, and his feet were no different. He sighed to himself and buried his hands and feet in the cool sand

The three of them sat there for some time, helplessly watching as the ship burned into a pile of metal frames and ash.

"I knew a lot of people on that Airship." The woman said finally, her voice flat.

Ayre looked at Vain with a worried expression, but the woman continued.

"I am glad to watch it burn." The woman clenched her fists. After noticing Ayre and Vain's confused expressions, she continued with "That ship was used to purchase and transport slaves.. Didn't you know that?"

Ayre looked at Vain with a look of more confusion. "You were going to sell me off into slavery?" He asked,voice sounding hurt.

The woman turned to Vain with a look of suspicion, inching away from the necromancer.

Vain only shrugged, "I needed the money, and it seemed like an easy job, I just didn't ask questions." She said sternly, then changed the subject, "The sun is going to be down soon, and I suggest we find a safe place to rest before we get jumped by undead."

Vain stood up, and began walking away from the two "Ayre, carry her. She can't walk on her own yet."

After getting to his feet Ayre realized he was still in the nude, and so did the woman. Her cheeks turned red at the sight of his manhood, and Ayre covered himself with his hands, looking around frantically for anything to cover himself with, but only finding sand.

"It's fine, I don't mind" she said, giggling to herself.

Ayre sighed again as he gently picked the woman off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they began following Vain from a distance.

The woman looked up to Ayre, asking quietly "Should we trust this woman?"

Ayre glanced down at her, "We don't have a choice.. she's our only chance of getting out of here."

The woman looked back over to Vain, pursing her lips together. As Ayre followed Vain through a thick patch of thicket, he tried to lighten her mood a little.

"So, do you have a name Miss?" He asked, preoccupied with following Vain's footsteps.

She replied "The men on the ship used to call me Vivian.. so you can call me that if you wish." Ayre had already fallen in love with the way Vivian spoke. It was young and hopefully, unlike Vain's usual dark and slow ways of speaking.

"Vivian huh?" Ayre continued "So Vivian, can you tell me a little about yourself?" Ayre quickened his pace as Vain had disappeared behind a few dead trees. He rounded the corner to find that Vain had gotten even farther away from them. The dead forest she had led them into was chockingly thick, yet Vain was walking with a surprising pace.

Vivian watched Vain's hypnotic hips sway from a distance as she said "I was born in Divinity's Reach, and lived most of my life working on my father's farm." She seemed lost in melancholy.

Ayre looked down at her "Then how did you get wrapped up in slave trading?" Still wondering if the woman was being honest with him.

"It paid a lot, and I needed the money" She looked up at him, "I wasn't a trader or anything.. I just operated the harpoons"

Ayre nodded and watched Vain as she disappeared around a large tree. The muddy ground beneath him splashing lightly as he followed the impressions she left in the mud, stepping over the roots which extended from the base. Ayre and Vivian came across Vain as she was already most of the way through the construction a small tent.

Vain continued working on the tent while Ayre stood with Vivian in his arms. The warmth of her body against his gave Ayre a comforting sensation. Her steady breathing matched his as she leaned her head against his chest. His dirty body had already left marks of sap and dirt on her simple red shirt, and even worse markings on her tan skirt.

Vain leaned up, the tent was finished, and the dark red fabric stood against the brown and grey forest. She strolled over to the little blue backpack, pulling out a furry blanket large enough to cover the floor of the inside of the tent. After she placed it inside the tent, she recovered the pillows the two had used the previous night and place them in the tent as well.

"Alright Ayre, place her in there and make sure she has a pillow under that leg."

He did what he was told, pacing over to the tent, and holding Vivian's hand as she hobbled inside and consequently giving Ayre a nice view as she did so. A small lantern hung from the center of the tent, casting a dim light upon the inside of the tent. As she laid down on the soft brown fur, Ayre positioned one of pillows to rest under her leg.

"Does that feel alright?" He asked her.

"Yeah, it's fine" She replied, resting her head on the second pillow. She grabbed his hand "Ayre.. thank you"

Ayre only nodded and backed out of the tent, turning to face Vain, only to catch a pink rag to the face.

"Put that around your waist, I'm tired of seeing your flower." Vain ordered.

Ayre did as he was told, crafting himself a tunic. His hands were stiff, their green pigment was replaced with a dark brown. Ayre looked down at his own body to inspect his wounds. He was covered with dirt, sap, and burns. He was surprised he was even alive, let alone the fact that he was able to carry Vivian all that way. He looked over to Vain, but she was busy rifling through her backpack. Ayre sighed, and sat down on a nearby stump.

After a few moments of silence, Vain managed to find a log of dry wood. She placed it a couple feet from the entrance of the tent and lit it with her magic. The flames warmed Ayre, and spread light around the area.

Vain sat down on a stump across from Ayre, looking into the flames.

"So, what now Vain?" Ayre asked, looking at her softly.

"Well, I figure we head north to a fort just a few miles from here." She replied.

Ayre looked at her curiously "A fort?"

Vain nodded slightly, "Yeah, from there we can hire an Airship to take us back to Divinity's Reach, then I can get you to your people" Ayre thought for a moment "I have a people?"

Vain looked up at him, "Yeah, you know, the salad people.. the Sylvari"

"Is that what I am?" Ayre looked at his scorched hands "I am Sylvari?"

Vain only nodded, then asked "I thought you people were supposed to have a dream that explained everything to you?"

Ayre looked back up to her "A what?"

Vain realized the extent of Ayre's disconnection with the world. No dream meant no knowledge about the world, about Tyria. Ayre had just become a larger burden than he already was, and she began to wonder if he was still worth the effort. The two of sat there in silence. Watching Vain's fire burn the wooden log at a slow pace.

After some time, Ayre and Vain both retired to the tent. Vain was laying between Ayre and Vivian, and Ayre was pushed against the side of the small tent. Vivian was already sleeping, and Vain put out the small lantern. The furry rug which he had laid down on was soft, and drew Ayre rapidly towards sleep. Darkness fell upon the small group, and Ayre was asleep.


	4. Chapter 3 (M)

Ayre's sleep was interrupted by movement in the tent. Ayre rolled over to see, much to his surprise and slight horror, Vain with inky black tendrils coming from an opening in her back. She was sitting up with her chin resting on the back of her hand, dark eyes and a wicked grin looking at Vivian who was a few inches away from her, the tendrils wrapped around her and holding her up, though it didn't look as if she was in pain, in fact it looked like pleasure.

"Mm... good morning Ayre..." she says in a sensual voice, despite her attention on the woman she is fully aware of her surroundings, she reaches out to Vivian and runs her long, slender fingers over her chest to her supple breast, Vivian squirms slightly, breathing heavily, already drenched in sweat, Ayre's senses were hit, a pink mist seemed to be around them, the air heavy with the smell of sex and what could only be described as pure lust, Vain moves her other hand to Vivian's cheek and moves to look into her eyes, every word spoken by her seemed to drip with orgasmic pleasure, "Mmm... you want it don't you? You crave it... your senses, your sex, every fiber if your being... it lusts for it, yes my darling?" Vivian seemed unable to respond other than nodding her head, Vain grinned, leaning back it seemed as if the tendrils made a seat for her, a throne fit for a goddess of sex and lust, she crosses her legs as her eyes light a soft pink color, a rather bulbous, large tendril slips from under the throne and presses against Vivian's sex, rubbing back and forth against her slit slickly, the girl already dripping wet, she moans and squirms, her face a mix of delight and want, being held close to Vain but suspended in front of her, hands and legs tied, fully at Vain's mercy.

Ayre stared in disbelief as this large tendril suddenly pushed into the woman, both Vain and Vivian moaned out in lust, Vain's hands started to move sensually across Vivian's body, her eyes look to Ayre as the slender digit makes it's way to Vivian's wet clit, she gives a small rub and pinch while licking up the side of Vivian's face with her seemingly reptile like tongue, long and velvet, forked at the end, she looked as if she was teasing Ayre by doing this, and loving every second of it. Vivian gasped and moaned, bouncing against the tendril, her inner walls contracting on it, fluid leaking from the lust she felt, her body seemed to glimmer in the firelight, the pace quickens slightly as Vain turns her head and plants her lips to Vivian's, her arms now wrap around her body, the tendrils also pulling her in to be held as the bulbus one continues to slide in and out of her sex, Vivian's voice cries out in pleasure as she reaches her orgasm though the tendril does not stop, through the tight walls Vain wills it to keep going, her own breath starting to get ragged as her special way of making love gets to her, Vain did not seem human at this point but something more, a being of pleasure and love, eyes of pink fire with lust burning in them, Ayre could not help but marvel at this shocking display.

Vain laughs in demented pleasure as she wills the tendril into and out of Vivian in rapid movements, grinning as she starts to pant, speaking in a low voice to her, "You feel it? Mmm that pleasure beyond what others could ever dream to give you... absolute harmony with all in the world...ah...and just... when... you think it can't get better..." she starts to breath faster, suddenly kissing Vivian, forcing her tongue down her throat as she moans, reaching yet another orgasm, this time however Vain reaches hers, the tight walls contract on the massive tendril before it suddenly spews it's white hot liquid inside of her, pumping enough that it overflows her, bits falling between them onto the floor as she holds close, both of them screaming in ecstasy

The screams of pleasure broke Ayre's mind loose of the intoxicating mist. His mind blurred, he looked away from the gasping bodies long enough to locate the opening in the tent. He crawled his way over the soft carpet, enjoying the feeling of the fur working it's way in between his fingers. He took one last look at the two. Vivian was nestled quietly against Vain, resting her head on Vain's breasts. Vain waved for Ayre to get out of the tent, putting her arm around Vivian.

Ayre exited the warm embrace of the tent, pink smoke puffing out of the entrance with him. Coughing, Ayre looked around the dead forest. The tall trees showing through the the thick fog and fireflies floating peacefully all around him. After giving himself a moment to capture his breath, Ayre noticed a small stream just ahead, and began walking to it. The light trickle of the somewhat clean water stood out against the silence of the woods. He enjoyed the peacefulness of the moment, breathing in deeply, and cleansing his lungs of the exotic drug. He bent down and dipped his fingers into the cool water, allowing the water run across the tips of his fingers. The tips of his fingers, now clean, shown their natural color of a floral green.

The sound of footsteps disrupted Ayre's moment of peace. Vain had approached him from behind, and was smoking a cigarette out of a slender ivory holder. The smoke washed around her head as she huffed out. Some of her black hair clung to her forehead and neck, and her red dress seemed as if it had been put on hastily.

"Was it good for you too?" Vain asked, smirking. Ayre looked back at her, looking confused, "What was that back there Vain?

Vain placed a hand on her hip, taking a long draw from her cigarette, holding it in a moment before blowing the smoke in his direction. "You'll get it, eventually" She stepped closer to him placed a hand on his shoulder "But that's only if.. if.." Ayre caught Vain looking down at his cloth skirt. Vain turned away and began to snigger, as Ayre quickly placed his hands over a bulge which had formed underneath his red skirt, unbeknownst to him.

Ayre quickly began to try and explain that he didn't know why but Vain cut him off. "Don't worry Sir Bloomer, it's just a side effect of my little smoke magic." Ayre looked away in embarrassment, cheeks turned bright red.

"Besides.." Vain continued "I don't do salads."

Ayre looked around the small clearing. The sun couldn't seem to find it's way through the fog which lay blanketing the forest, suffocating the tall trees. The fireflies were gone, and save for the small creek, everything lay still once more. Ayre and Vain both admired the peacefulness such a place could create.

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the surrounding forest. Vain turned around as Ayre fell to his knees, covering his ears from the frightening sound. He felt the ground tremble, and then the world around him shook on it's foundation and leaves cascaded down from the trees. Then, as quickly they had come, the noises were gone. An uneasy silence had fallen back down upon the two. Ayre looked up at Vain with a worried look, who had turned back up towards their tent. Ayre slowly stood, moving cautiously and silently. Vain began pacing back towards their tent, moving with purpose. Ayre began following her from a short distance, scared of what they might come across.

Rounding the the tree, Ayre noticed Vain standing standing still. He stepped closer to her, and noticed, to his horror, the remnants of their camp.

"Oh no." Ayre muttered, his lungs becoming short of breath. The tent had been caved in by some insurmountable force, pieces of cloth and chunks of wood had been scattered throughout the area. Blood stained the tent and ran into the gray dirt.

"Was Vivian in there?" Ayre asked as tears formed in his eyes and obscured his sight. He already knew the answer, but he needed the comfort of Vain's reassurance. Vain could only nod back, a grim expression upon her face. Ayre noticed through his blurred vision that there were footsteps as big as he was leading away from their camp. They were the same footsteps that belonged to that Behemoth. Ayre turned away from the destroyed tent and closed his eyes, letting the tears roll down his cheeks.

"Come on" Vain said, as she began to follow the footsteps away from the camp. "What?" Ayre asked as he looked back up to her, "What do you think you're doing?". Vain paused, sighing impatiently, "I'm in the mood for some revenge Ayre, and you're coming with me." Her sharp tone worried Ayre, "But I thought we were-" but he was cut off by Vain's impatient voice "We're going after it Ayre!" Vain turned away from him and drew her staff as she began running down the path, following each footstep further into the woods. Ayre stepped forward, but he knew what they were doing was ridiculous. Every ounce of his being told him to stop moving, to run away from Vain and hide from her madness. But he continued walking, and with every step his pace quickened. His eyes were burning and and his legs felt weak, yet he was forcing himself to move quicker. Soon enough he was racing after her, his breathing heavy and heart pumping. He was filled with rage and sorrow, terror and excitement. He had never felt more alive.


	5. Chapter 4

Ayre ran. He had lost Vain in the thick woods, but the small craters that the monster left were leading him along. Broken branches and twigs layered the ground beneath his dirty feet. Tears streamed down his face and sideways across his cheeks. Vivian was the only sane person he had met, and she was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it. His fists clenched as he ran down the pathway. Anger and sadness tore at him, twisting his emotions. He could still remember her smile, how she clung to him as he carried her out of the wreckage.

A new cascade of dead leaves rained down on him as he ran. He stopped for a moment, shaking his head clear of all thought and listened. The sounds of the monster could be heard not far from his location. The earth shook again and leaves fell once more. He picked up his pace again, beginning to worry about Vain.

A ray of golden light shown through a hole punched through the edge of the dense forest. The sounds of the behemoth yelling in rage became louder as he approached the light. Without hesitation, Ayre jumped past the edge of the forest and was temporarily blinded by the light. The forest floor was replaced with sand, and he paused as the sounds of fighting became clear.

After a moment, he saw the Behemoth not fifty yards from him. Vain was standing in front of it, her stance lowered and her staff at the ready. The two-story Behemoth shot it's meaty arm down at Vain with lightning speed, roaring as it did so, but Vain was ready for the attack. She stepped back, getting showered with sand, and raising her staff above her head like an axe. Out of her arched back sprouted black wings surrounded by a deep green glow. Ayre watched in wonder as the staff she wielded became engulfed by the same glow, and melted into a scythe. She swung the impossibly sharp weapon down unto the Behemoth's arm before it had time to dig it's arm out of the sand. The scythe cut into it like butter, and and Vain held it steady as the Behemoth withdrew it's arm, leaving a long gash all the way down to the upper hand. The Behemoth grabbed at it's arm and cried out in agony as black blood rushed from it's wound.

Ayre began running to them and watched as Vain didn't stop. She spun with great ferocity and brought the scythe across the Behemoth's knee with a quick swipe. The monster fell to it's wounded knee and angrily swung at Vain with it's good arm. Vain managed to jump out of the way in time and landed in front of Ayre. Her wings disappeared as well as her scythe, and she hunched over, clutching her stomach. Ayre stood next to her and watched as the Behemoth turned away from the two and began to hobble away from them in desperation.

Vain looked up to Ayre and with what little energy she had left, simply said "Finish it, Ayre." Ayre looked back towards the Behemoth, which was managing to limp it's way away from them and into a dried river basin.

Without thinking, Ayre broke into a full sprint, leaving Vain behind. The river basin in which the Behemoth made it's way into had two ledges on either side, leading up to waist level for the colossal undead. Ayre scrambled his way up the dried rock, instinctively choosing the side of the Behemoth's bad arm.

Even crippled, the Behemoth was still moving quickly. Ayre had to run along side of it, hurdling over rocks and jumping small gaps whilst planning his next move. He looked forward to see that he was very quickly approaching a wall of flat rock that he would not be able to climb. Without thinking, he lept off the ledge, grasping for anything on the Behemoth to hold. He landed on it's back with a loud thump, but he began to slide off it, clawing at it's flesh. He managed to grab a harpoon which still protruded out of the back of the Behemoth. He pulled himself up with it, causing the undead to become aware of his presence. It bent forwards, attempting to grab at Ayre with it's good arm. Ayre jumped upwards and out of the arm's way, grabbing onto a sword which was embedded into the Behemoth's shoulder all the way to the hilt. The monster began rocking back and forth, attempting to shake Ayre, who held onto the hilt with all his strength.

When that didn't work, it jumped into the air, using the downward momentum to try and throw Ayre off it's back. Ayre held on, and winced as the force of his body came down on the monster. The monster jumped once more, but Ayre had a plan. He dug his feet into it's flesh and at the apex of the jump, yanked the sword out of it's shoulder and getting sprayed with black blood in the process. Ayre got a few feet of height above the Behemoth, swinging the sword over his head. When the Behemoth looked up to Ayre, he came down upon it, heavy sword in full swing.

Yelling, Ayre dug the sword deep into the Behemoth's skull, aiming right between the

eyes. The force of the impact wrenched the sword out of Ayre's hands as he rolled off the face of the Behemoth, falling into the sand below. He looked up to see the Behemoth still standing, with it's head rolled back and arms slumped to it's sides. For a moment, everything was still. But then the Behemoth shuddered and fell to it's knees, shaking loose bits of rock from the walls that surrounded them both. Ayre shielded his head from the rocks and winced as shards of it bounced off of his arms. But his attention was directed towards the Behemoth, which was now tilting towards Ayre's direction. Ayre scooted away frantically for a moment before turning tail and running away from the toppling beast. It's arms scraped along the sides of the riverbed before it came down nearly on top Ayre. The resulting shockwave shot dust and sand into the air, and large boulders dislodged and hit the ground all around Ayre.

After the dust settled, Ayre approached the dead Behemoth warily. He noticed the sword still sticking out of the monster's face. A large amount of black blood was oozing out of the wound and seeping into the brown sand. He grabbed the hilt and pulled. Blood coated the blade, and a new rush of the thick black liquid spewed from the wound.

He wiped a small section of the blade off with his hand. He saw the blue-tinted steel between streaks of blood. After inspecting the sword for a few seconds, Ayre clambered over the Behemoth and began making his way back towards Vain. He carried the sword with him by resting the blunt side on his shoulder.

Vain was sitting nonchalantly on a sand, leaning back on one arm and sucking on a lollipop. Ayre approached her, spayed with black blood along with every layer of filth he had acquired over the past two days. Vain was still perfectly clean, despite trekking through the same terrain Ayre did.

Ayre stood in front of Vain, shrugging expectantly. Vain popped the pink lollipop out of her mouth, looking Ayre over.

"You look like shit"

Ayre ignored her, asking "What happens now Vain?" with an exhausted tone.

"What happens now, my little dumpling, is a quick little stroll to a place called Fort Trinity" She paused for a moment to lick the lollipop, "I figure we catch an airship back to Lion's Arch and have a little chat with my employer." Another pause, "Usually I don't risk getting my ass killed for slave owners."

After a moment, Vain stood up and held her arm out, pointing towards more forest. "Fort Trinity is that way, let's go", and she began walking.

Ayre spoke up, "What about Vivian, Vain?". She didn't bother turning around to face Ayre, she only said "What about her?" as she walked away from him. Ayre couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What are you talking about Vain?" he continued "She was our friend!"

She outstretched both of her arms, and began to spin. She rolled her head back and began singing with a rather loud voice "People drifting in and out of my mind.. and the boring ones get left behind.."

Vain spun back around, continueing in the direction of Fort Trinity with a quick pace. She looked back at Ayre, saying blankly "Ayre, if you do not start walking, I will kill you myself for slowing me down."

Ayre tightened his grip his sword, but started after Vain, making sure to keep his distance. This woman had gone from annoying to frightening, but she was his only hope of getting out of this place. He decided that as soon as the opportunity arrived, he would leave Vain and never look back. Her sanity was questionable and she seemed uncaring for the lives of others, making her a very large threat to anyone she would come across, especially to herself.

He looked down to his free hand as he walked. The several layers of dirt and blood almost completely masked his true color. Even the tips of his fingers were dirtied once more. How was Vain staying so clean? Her clothing was regal, yet she seemed to be able to run much quicker and hit much harder than he was able to.

'Could Vain have been controlling the Behemoth?'

The thought left as soon as it had arrived, and it frightened Ayre.

'She controls the undead, she used the Behemoth to kill Vivian'

Ayre shook his head, that couldn't be it. But he heard Vivian's soft voice speaking to him, asking "Should we trust this woman?" The question echoed through his head, and the grip on his sword tightened even more.

"Ayre, hold this."

Vain's voice knocked him out of his deep thinking. He looked up to see Vain holding up the small blue backpack. She busied herself with looking at a compass as he took the pack from her and wrapped the straps around his shoulders. Vain motioned for Ayre to follow her as she began walking again. Ayre had been so deep in thought that he hadn't noticed the forest they were in. This one was different than the one they had just come from.. Instead of dead bushes and gnarly trees, lush greens flooded his vision. Colossal trees with lively brown bark and plenty of green leaves towered above him. He felt the sensation of grass reaching in between his toes, and he heard birds singing high above him. This place was not like Orr, it was alive, it was inviting to him.

As they were walking along a small path, they passed the ruins of a castle which had been destroyed long ago. Moss was hanging from what remained of the somwhat white stone, and vines were entangled within nearly every crevice. Soon it disappeared behind them as they continued walking.

Ayre bumped into Vain as she stopped to admire the view. Ayre gazed around her and caught his first glimpse of Fort Trinity from a distance. It was surrounded by huge metal walls, and large cannons rested along the them and were aimed at every direction, some even aimed at Vain and Ayre. Airships of all sizes were lazily floating in and out of the fort. A dock connecting to the ocean was housing several large ships, and many figures could be seen running up and down the pier, tending to the ships.

"And there is our ride." Vain said, pointing to one of the largest airships, one big enough to carry hundreds of people, that was now slowly descending into the fort.

Vain continued walking towards the fort, with Ayre close behind. Soon the two approached a large gate with guards standing at the front. Two of them started to approach Vain and Ayre. As they got closer, Ayre could see the intricacies of their armor, which shone brightly in the sun and bore an insignia of a purple dragon with a gold sun as the backdrop on the chestpiece of their armor. Their faces were hidden by their helmets, in fact, no skin whatsoever shown. They were both much larger than Ayre, but not quite as tall as Vain. The guards motioned for them to stop, and approached them both.

"You again?"

One of them seemed to know Vain, he spoke to her through his helm after they approached her. The other guard put a hand of Ayre's chest as Vain began walking with the other guard, discussing things he could not hear. The one holding Ayre back took the sword from his hand. Ayre started to protest but the armored guard kept his hand on Ayre's chest and shot him a look. The guard looked down to Ayre's blood-coated sword. After a moment, the guard handed the sword back, gave Ayre a nod, and returned to his post at the gate. Ayre stood for a moment, holding the sword in his hand.

Vain returned a moment later, laughing with the other guard.

"Always a pleasure Vain" He extended a hand for Vain to shake, which she did. Vain then grabbed Ayre by the shoulder as the thick metal gate opened and she dragged him through. The gate quietly closed behind them as they passed through.

Ayre was amazed by the amount of people there were. He felt his body tense up at the sight of so many unfamiliar faces. Wooden buildings stood tall to his right, a market bustled to his left. Colorful tents caught the attention of the shoppers, who wore equally colorful clothing. Children ran between people and their mothers followed close behind. Animals he had never seen before waddled aimlessly among them, and large hoofed ones were tied up to wooden posts off to the side. The bustle of the square was deafening, and it made Ayre uneasy. Vain then dragged Ayre to a smaller shack, where a man with a look of slight contempt stood behind a glass window.

"Two tickets for transport aboard The Borealis please."

The man slid two thin pieces of paper over to Vain, and she dropped two gold coins on the counter, turned, and continued dragging Ayre along. He saw they were heading towards the same airship that Vain pointed out earlier. The size of the airship had become apparent, as the people walking along the deck looked as if they were ants. They walked past groups of people, speaking to each other loudly and some giving him looks. Ayre felt out of place, everyone here was clean like Vain, and he was caked in dirt and blood. The long pier was wide enough for several stacks of crates to be organized on one side, and still have enough for people to walk along the length of it comfortably. Ayre was instinctively holding on to Vain's hand as she directed the two through the crowds of people.

The two huge white balloons that attached to the ship through a series of ropes still levitated a good distance above the them. The wooden ship was lined with gilded strips of metal decorating the hull, and a golden mermaid guarded the stem. There was a well dressed man standing at the beginning of a flight of stairs that lead up to the ship. Vain approached him and placed the tickets in his hands. He tore them in half and gave Vain a key and motioned for them to climb the stairs, giving Ayre a dirty look as Vain passed. He looked back at the man, but was dragged up the stairs by Vain.

Once they made it up to the ship, Vain escorted Ayre to their room, shuffling their way past other passengers in the long hallways inside the ship. Each one looking at Ayre as if he was a monster. He noticed the other passengers were wearing formal clothing, making Ayre and his dirtied red skirt feel even more embarrassed. After walking for what seemed like an impossible length, Vain turned and unlocked one of the doorways, opening a doorway to a pristinely white room. Ayre entered and his jaw dropped. A massive bed lay in front of him, with golden pillows resting delicately on the gentle fabric. The carpet he stood on was already browned from his feet. He guiltily stood still as Vain entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

After a few moments of silence, Vain re-opened the door. Without luggage, Vain had somehow changed from her old dress, and into a long formal gown. The black fabric was slightly see through, and Ayre could make out lace underwear of the same color. The gown ended at her upper thigh, and she wore long black boots that reached up to her knees.

She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, adjusting her cleavage and ruffling her hair.

"Why don't you get some rest Ayre, you've had a long day.. I'm going to the main hall to… mingle.." She turned to the side and inspected her curves.

When she was finished, she turned to face Ayre, but he had already trailed off and lay on the bed face down, leaving brown footsteps all the way there. Vain sighed, and exited the room.


End file.
